Hosting Company TOS: What to Know

If you subscribe to a web hosting package through any web hosting company (it doesn't matter what kind of package or what company), you might be wondering what your rights as a consumer are – especially if you have run into some problems with your hosting company. Truth be told, figuring out what your rights are is not as cut and dry as you may want it to be, and it all comes down to reading the terms of service that are part of your hosting agreement.

Terms of Service (TOS)

It's not the part of a hosting agreement you think about when you sign up with any hosting company. But, the TOS is really important. Every company lists separate TOS on a main site page. As a consumer looking to sign up with a company, it's your job to pay attention to those terms. You also have to understand what those terms are before you sign up with any host. Why? Because if you violate those terms, your site could be taken down. Now, you may not know why your site has been taken down if you don't read the TOS.

Where to Find the TOS

Before you sign any contract, you can find the TOS link at the bottom of most sites. Look for the link to the TOS page. Once there, you should see a list of terms that you have to abide by if you want to sign up with a particular company. These terms may be presented in an unclear manner that's marred with a lot of legal-speak, but it's still your job to figure out what each company is trying to get across (tough, I know!). These days, though, most companies are presenting TOS in a clear manner, so there's no ambiguity when it comes to understanding terms.

If You Don't Understand

If you think that you have been wronged by a hosting company or don't understand TOS, it is within your interest to hire a lawyer to figure this part out. Lawyers can be expensive, but not as expensive as facing a shut down site because you violated some terms that were outlined in a TOS. In this case, it doesn't pay to sign up with a hosting company and not understand the TOS. What happens if you did read the TOS, signed the contract, and the TOS was amended after the fact?

Your hosting company has to notify you of any TOS changes. At that point, the company also has to ask you whether or not you agree to these changes. If you haven't been notified of changes, and now you are in violation, you may have a case to present to a lawyer. However, please note that this information is not to be seen as legal advice in any manner. We suggest that you contact a lawyer to proceed in this case.

If you have any general TOS hosting questions, feel free to post those below. You'll also find lots of great hosting company reviews here on our site, so make sure to take a look!